Views  of* 


CHICAGO 
DRAINAGE  CANAL 


As  seen  along 

The  Santa  Fe  Route 


•••Views  of*«« 

CHICAGO  DRAINAGE  CANAL 

AS  SEEN  ALONG 

THE  SANTA  FE  ROUTE 


Issued  by  Passenger  Department, 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Ry. 
J896 


Santa  Fe  Route  Excursion  Train  Crossing  Drainage  Canal  at  Lemont. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  CHICAGO  DRAINAGE  CANAL. 

EARLY  everybody  has  heard  of  the  "big  ditch"  that  Chicago  is  building.    Several 

thousand  people  have  seen  the  work.    Very  few  know  what  its  chief  features  are. 

The  facts  below — "  wet  facts  "  they  might  be  called  in  contrast  to  "  dry  " — should, 

therefore,  be  of  interest. 

The  Main  Channel  of  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  the  greatest  engineering 

work  in  America,  is  being  constructed  under  the  general  law  incorporating  Sanitary 
Districts,  enacted  by  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  1889,  and  is  primarily  designed  to  carry  off  the  sewage 
which  now  finds  its  way  to  Lake  Michigan  through  the  Chicago  river.  This  channel  will  be  an 
important  link  of  the  grand  waterway  to  the  Mississippi  River  which  the  National  Government  has  in 
contemplation.  It  is  proposed  to  ultimately  finish  that  part  between  where  the  Sanitary  Canal  ends  at 
Lockport,  and  Utica  on  the  Illinois  river,  a  distance  of  sixty  odd  miles.  When  completed  to  Lockport 
the  pure  waters  of  the  lake  will  flow  into  the  Chicago  river,  and  the  new  current  will  force  the  polluted 
river-water  to  the  Mississippi  through  the  Drainage  Canal  and  the  DesPlaines  and  Illinois  rivers. 

The  right  of  way  for  the  channel,  approximating  6,500  acres  of  land,  was  acquired  either  by 
condemnation  or  purchase  for  approximately  $2,400,000. 


The  canal  starts  from  its  confluence  with  the  West  Fork  of  the  South  Branwh  of  the  Chicago  river 
at  Robey  street,  Chicago,  and  ends  at  Lockport,  twenty-eight  miles  distant.  "Work  was  commenced 
"Shovel  Day,"  September  3,  J892,  at  the  rock  cut  below  Lemont  on  the  line  between  Cook  and  Will 
counties,  and  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  encountered  has  been  successfully  prosecuted.  It  is  reasonable 
to  anticipate  the  completion  of  the  canal,  including  the  works  at  Lockport  to  regulate  the  flow  of  the 
water  into  the  DesPlaines  river,  in  about  a  year  or  early  in  1897. 

The  control  of  this  river  (which  is  the  key  to  the  valley  and  had  a  tendency  to  wander  from  its 
course  at  certain  seasons,  thereby  causing  considerable  damage)  was  one  of  the  first  problems  to  be 
solved  before  the  work  could  be  safely  carried  forward.  This  was  accomplished  by  excavating  about 
thirteen  miles  of  new  river  channel  200  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  parallel  to  the  main  canal,  and  extend- 
ing from  section  C  to  section  A,  through  portions  of  sections  J  and  2,  and  from  sections  6  to  H.  This 
river  diversion  channel  includes  about  nineteen  miles  of  levee  between  the  canal  and  the  DesPlaines 
watershed.  It  cost  nearly  $1,000,000. 

The  Drainage  Canal  is  divided  into  twenty-nine  sections,  each  section  averaging  one  mile  in 
length.  Nos.  \  to  J5  run  south-westerly  from  Willow  Springs,  while  sections  A  to  O,  omitting  J, 
extend  east  to  Robey  street.  The  lettered  sections  are  in  earth ;  sections  1  to  6  are  in  earth  and  rock 
(glacial  drift),  -while  sections  7  to  15  are  all  rock. 

The  bottom  of  sections  A  to  E,  with  500  feet  of  section  F,  is  202  feet  wide.    East  of  these  the 


width  is  110  feet.  Sections  I  to  15,  except  a  portion  at  south  end  of  the  latter,  are  160  feet  wide  at 
the  bottom.  The  width  at  top  of  the  earth  sections  is  306  feet. 

The  fall  in  earth  and  glacial  drift  (from  Robey  street  to  Willow  Springs)  is  about  one  and  one- 
half  inches  to  a  mile  ;  in  solid  rock  (Willow  Springs  to  Lockport)  the  fall  is  about  three  inches  to  a 
mile.  The  bottom  of  the  channel  at  the  controlling  works  will  be  about  5^  feet  lower  than  at 
Robey  street. 

The  sides  of  the  rock  sections  are  vertical ;  those  of  the  earth  sections  slope  away  towards  the  top. 
The  walls  of  the  sections  in  glacial  drift  (Nos.  \  to  6)  are  masonry  laid  in  cement. 

The  average  depth  of  the  canal  is  from  30  to  36  feet  and  the  average  depth  of  water  will  be  from 
22  to  24  feet.  The  canal's  greatest  depth  is  46  feet. 

A  flow  of  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  a  minute,  sufficient  to  take  care  of  the  requirements  of  the 
city's  present  population,  will  be  permitted  by  the  canal's  present  dimensions.  Later,  when  the  growth 
of  the  city  demands  it,  the  sections  in  earth  will  be  dredged  so  their  width  will  permit  the  passage  of 
600,000  cubic  feet,  or  4,500,000  gallons  of  water  per  minute — ample  provision  for  the  3,000,000  people 
which  "  Greater  Chicago "  confidently  expects  to  have  some  day.  Numerous  springs  were  tapped 
during  the  excavations,  and  their  waters  cover  the  floors  of  sections  that  are  finished,  but  under  the 
provisions  of  the  contract  the  contractors  who  have  finished  must  keep  their  sections  free  from  water 
until  the  canal  is  accepted  by  the  State  Board  of  Commissioners  to  be  appointed  by  the  legislature. 


This  channel  will  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $28,000,000  and  will  be  paid  for  by  the  Sanitary 
District,  which  comprises  all  of  the  city  north  of  Eighty-seventh  street,  together  with  some  forty-three 
square  miles  of  Cook  county,  outside  of  the  city  limits  which  will  be  directly  benefited  by  the 
improvement.  This  money  is  raised  by  a  tax  of  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  taxable 
property  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  district,  as  the  same  shall  be  assessed  and  equalized  for  State 
and  County  taxes  of  the  year  in  which  the  levy  is  made.  The  taxes  afford  sufficient  revenue  to  pay 
the  interest  on  the  bonds  issued  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  ;  to  pay  off  and  return  one-twentieth  of  the 
issue  each  year,  and  leave  a  surplus  to  apply  upon  the  current  obligations  of  the  district  incurred  for 
construction. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  noted  that  Chicago  has  generously  gone  into  her  pockets  for  this  great 

sanitary  improvement. 

«£• 

The  data  used  in  this  pamphlet  was  kindly  furnished  by  officials  of  the  Sanitary  District. 


The  pictures  shown  herein  were  taken  during  various  stages  of  the  work.    In  several  cases  the 
present  view  is  changed,  but  similar  scenes  may  be  observed  on  other  sections  of  the  Canal. 


Hydraulic  Dredge.  — DesPlaines  River. 


THE  TRIP  DOWN  THE  CANAL. 

%EAVING  Dearborn  Station  via  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  Ry.  the  train  pursues  a  course  trending 
southwesterly,  crosses  the  drawbridge  over  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  river  near 
Ashland  avenue,  then  crosses  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  (which  with  the  assistance  of 
the  Bridgeport  pumping  station,  inadequately  attempts  to  perform  the  work  laid  out  for  the  great 
canal)  and  runs  between  it  and  the  new  Drainage  Canal  until  section  G  (near  Gahan  &  Byrne's 
Spur)  is  reached,  beyond  which  point  it  crosses  the  Ogden  Ditch,  a  continuation  of  the  West  Fork  of 
the  South  Branch.  The  DesPlaines  river  is  crossed  soon  after  leaving  the  ditch,  and  just  north  of 
this  crossing  passengers  may  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  spillway  over  which  the  surplus  water  of  the  river 
used  to  flow  towards  Chicago.  At  the  time  this  spillway  was  built  no  arrangements  had  been 
perfected  for  carrying  the  entire  flood  waters  of  the  DesPlaines  river. 

At  section  F  (bridge  5)  and  the  point  from  which  the  spillway  may  be  seen,  the  first  view  of  the 
diversion  channel  is  to  be  had.  This  channel  is  south  of  the  track  and  is  in  view  almost  all  the  way 
down  to  section  A  at  Willow  Springs. 

Columbia  Park,  the  best  equipped  private  pleasure  grounds  adjacent  to  Chicago,  and  the  scene  of 
many  happy  summer-time  gatherings,  is  situated  at  Willow  Springs,  on  the  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  Ry.  The 


waters  of  the  DesPlaines  wash  its  wooded  shores  and  make  a  silvery  background,  setting  oft  to 
advantage  the  beautiful  green  of  the  trees  and  grass. 

From  bridge  5  to  Tedens  the  river  is  between  the  track  and  the  canal,  but  glimpses  may  be  had 
of  the  canal  itself,  with  the  towers,  cableways  and  derricks  rising  above  or  seen  between  the  spoil- 
banks.  Near  the  end  of  section  7  the  road  curves  to  the  left,  crosses  the  river-diversion  channel,  •which 
is  very  wide  at  this  point,  and  then  diagonally  crosses  the  drainage  canal,  which  is  here  cut  through 
the  solid  rock.  All  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  excursion  trains  stop  on  this  bridge,  which  is  reached  just  before 
Lemont  station,  and  passengers  may  obtain  excellent  views  up  and  down  the  cut.  From  Lemont  and 
until  near  Lockport  the  train  runs  on  the  south  bank  of  and  parallel  to  the  canal,  affording  splendid 
panoramic  views  of  the  completed  work,  when  the  gigantic  spoilbanks  do  not  obstruct  the  view. 

Persons  desiring  to  spend  more  time  in  investigating  and  wishing  to  gain  a  better  knowledge  of 
the  work,  should  take  the  train  to  Willow  Springs  and  walk  to  the  canal,  which  is  about  one  thousand 
feet  from  the  station  and  across  the  DesPlaines  river,  spanned  here  by  a  bridge.  The  work  at  and 
near  Willow  Springs  is  in  glacial  drift  and  the  old  bed  of  the  river  and  requires  the  services  of  steam 
excavators.  With  untiring  regularity  and  wonderful  rapidity  they  gather  in  their  iron  scoops  tons  of 
earth  and  stone  and  by  means  of  the  movable  arm  to  which  they  are  attached  dump  the  debris  into  the 
cars  on  the  tracks  alongside  of  the  excavators.  When  a  train  is  filled,  the  locomotives  pull  the  cars  out 
of  the  cut  and  up  on  spoilbanks.  The  power  applied  by  the  excavators  is  so  great  that  the  friction 


between  the  scoops  and  earth  causes  curls  of  smoke  to  arise  from  the  path  cut  through  the  drift. 
There  are  two  of  these  excavators,  four  or  five  locomotives  and  perhaps  fifty  cars  used  in  the  -work 
at  this  point.  About  half  a  mile  west,  stone  is  being  quarried  for  the  construction  of  the  retaining 
walls  which  are  in  process  of  erection.  Farther  along  are  the  cantilever  conveyors  used  in  lifting  and 
removing  the  stones  blasted  out  of  the  rock  cuts.  The  scenes  at  and  near  Willow  Springs  are 
frequently  repeated,  the  greatest  deviation  being  only  in  the  method  of  removing  the  spoil.  The 
appliances  in  use  here  are  in  many  cases  marvels.  They  form  a  distinct  contribution  to  the  world 
of  mechanics — great  engines  for  digging,  lifting  and  transporting  earth  and  rock. 

In  section  JO  at  Lemont  the  finished  rock  cut  can  be  seen,  and  the  more  venturesome  may  descend 
to  the  bottom  by  means  of  the  stairs  which  are  still  there. 

Take  the  train  again  at  Lemont  and  get  off  at  Smith  &  Eastman's,  pass  the  spoilbank,  and  from 
the  wooden  bridge  that  span :  the  cut  at  this  point  the  line  of  the  canal  can  be  seen  as  far  as  the  curve 
near  Romeo. 

A  walk  thence  to  Lockport  (about  two  miles)  will  increase  one's  appreciation  of  the  magnitude 
of  this  undertaking  and  engender  a  greater  admiration  for  the  wonderful  inventive  and  executive 
powers  of  the  men  who  made  this  work  a  possibility. 

At  intervals  the  sides  of  the  canal  are  discolored,  owing  to  the  mineral  properties  of  the  spring 
waters  that  percolate  through  the  rock.  The  seepage  together  with  the  snow  and  rain  has  covered 


portions  of  the  canal  with  water  to  the  depth  of  a  foot,  but  as  the  contractors  are  to  pump  the  water 
out  until  the  canal  is  accepted  by  the  authorities,  the  water  will  not  rise  to  a  height  to  become 
troublesome. 

Work  on  section  15  is  being  rapidly  pushed  and  hundreds  of  men  are  employed  in  drilling, 
blasting,  building  retaining  walls  and  in  operating  steam  shovels.  The  trains  hauled  by  little  wheezy 
locomotives  that  pull  heavily  loaded  cars  from  the  cut  up  to  and  on  top  of  the  spoilbanks  apparently 
without  reference  to  gravitation's  law,  add  to  the  interest  of  the  scene. 

There  will  be  two  "  windage  basins  "  in  which  large  vessels  may  be  turned  ;  one  at  Robey  street 
and  the  other  near  the  end  of  the  canal  at  Lockport.  The  latter  will  be  505  feet  in  width. 

Inspection  of  the  controlling  works  at  Lockport,  comprising  retaining  walls,  a  bear-trap  dam  and 
fifteen  sluice-gates,  will  prove  a  fitting  wind-up  to  the  day's  tour  of  investigation  into  the  methods  of 
construction  applied  to  this  most  stupendous  of  artificial  waterways. 


Excavating  Earth  with  Steam  Shovel. -Sections  I  and  K. 


Steam  Shovel  and  Tram  Cars. — Section  15. 


i.Soo  Pound  Dynamite  Blast. --Section  g. 


Rock  Blast.-  Section  ia. 


Removing  Material  fromoRock  Cut. — Section  9. 


Revolving  Derrick. 


Cableways  and   Half  a  Ton  of  Dynamite  Blast.— Section  8. 


£ 


Cableways.— Near  Lemont. 


Panoramic  View  of  Canal,  Towr 


)  and  Surrounding  Country. 


Quarrying  and  Wall  Building.  — Section  6. 


ft'        I 


Solid  Rock  and  Cableways.— Section  8. 


Solid  Rock,  Topped  with  Wall  of  Masonry.— Section  6. 


Building  the:,Retaining.,WaU.— Section  6. 


Incomplete  Retaining  Wall. — Section  5. 


Cantilever  Conveyors.— Section  10. 


Solid    Rock,  Shewing  Earth  Fccket. 


High  Power  Revolving  Derricks. 


Retaining  'Wall  on  Solid  Rock  Foundation,  Four  Feet  Wide  on  Top. 


The  Great  Curve  Near  Romeo. 


Anniversary  of  ShoveKDay. — Section  10. 


A  Characteristic  Group. 


Cantilever  Conveyor. 


Rock  Cut  Showing  Full  Depth.— Section  9. 


How  the  Completed  Channel  will  Look. 


SOME  PROMINENT  VISITORS. 
HE  interest  in  the  canal  is  not  purely  local   or  national,   but  is  international.    It   has  been 

,  inspected  by  city,  state  and  national  officials,  and  so  widespread  is  its  fame  that  engineers  of 
note  from  abroad  have  visited  and  inspected  the  work,  and  the  comparison  of  this  canal  with 
the  Suez,  Kiel  and  Manchester  Canals  as  regards  cost,  time  of  construction  and  measurements  has  not 
been  to  our  discredit.  Subjoined  are  the  names  of  a  few  prominent  professional  and  scientific  men 
who  have  visited  the  "  big  ditch." 

EMILE  LEVASSEUR,  Professor  College  of  France. 

A.  STRADAL,  Engineer,  Hamburg,  Germany. 

CH.  DE  TAVERNIER,  Engineer  of  Roads  and  Bridges,  Paris,  France. 

BERNHARDT  OHRT,  Architect,  Hamburg,  Germany. 

ATTILIO  PRATESI,  Engineer,  Rome,  Italy. 

W.  RITTER,  Professor  Politechnikum,  Zurich,  Switzerland. 

JOHANNES  RISSER,  Amberg,  Bavaria. 

T.  V.  MENDES  GUERREIRO,  Engineer,  Lisbon,  Portugal. 

KARL  MEIER,  City  Engineer,  Berlin,  Germany. 

H.  BRINCKMANN,  Architect,  Brunswick,  Germany. 

SLAVOMIR  MONCOVSKY,  Chief  Civil  Engineer  of  the  Amoor  Country,  Khabarofsk,  Siberia. 


SANTA  FE  ROUTE 

POPULAR  WEEKLY  EXCURSIONS 

DOWN  THE  DRAINAGE  CANAL 

Will  be  continued  during  the  excursion  season  of  189  6. 

Full  particulars  in  daily  papers  and  circulars  as  to  dates,  train  service,  ticket  rates,  etc. 

The  SANTA  FE  affords   the   best  view  of  the  Canal  along  ils  entire  course. 

SCHOOLS,  CLUBS  AND  SOCIETIES 

Will  find  the  trip  to  Lockport  and  return  a  most  enjoyable  one. 
For  full  information  address 

J.  M.  CONNELL, 

City  Pass.  Agt.  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  Ry., 
212  Clark  Street. 


MAP  OF 

MAIN   DRAINAGE  CANAL, 
CHICAGO  TO  LOCKPORT. 

ON  LINE  OF 


The 
Desplaines 

Press 

P.  F.  Pettibone  &  Co. 
Chicago 


TC 


•^ 


